Great tips!
Photographing People: Ten Tips From NomadRuss
Love Yourself
“Image courtesy of sritangphoto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.
When we think of the month of February, our thoughts drift toward Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is a day that lovers demonstrate their love for each other. Is this a correct assessment? Actually, I believe a lot of women are preparing for the current love of their life to do something special for them on Valentine’s Day. Some women expect dinner, others expect dinner and a movie and there are even others that expect dinner, a movie and a gift.
The gift!
The gift is the foundation of miscommunication.
Some women are expecting an expensive gift, and others that are just expecting a gift. We think in our minds that our men know us and should be able to choose a great gift! Well, we know the story. On Valentine’s night there are plenty of women whose expectations are not met, and they take to social media or their BFF’s phone to discuss how disgusted they are with their Valentine’s night and gift.
I have a remedy for avoiding feelings of disgust on Valentine’s night – LOVE YOURSELF! Do something special for yourself. Refuse to wait around for someone else to demonstrate their love for you. Let’s be serious. How many men have loved us the way we want to be loved, or even demonstrated love for us the way we want them to demonstrate their love. We can choose to love ourselves. When we love ourselves, we will be loved the way we expect to be loved. We will receive gifts that reflect the level of love we have for ourselves.
As we are loving ourselves, let’s stop setting ridiculous expectations. Valentine’s Day is one day out of the year. Is Valentine’s Day the only day you want a public display of love? I hope not! I want someone who will love me the way I love me – every day of the year and occasionally buy me a nice gift.
Check out the Valentine Writing Challenge here.
Handle Your Business
There are so many business resources to help anyone be successful in business, yet it seems a lot of business people do not take advantage of these resources. Some business owners stumble upon a successful business venture, and destroy the business with their lack of business knowledge. I hear the argument for not receiving some advanced training in your chosen field. However, there will be less heartaches and headaches by investing some time in learning more about your business.
How do I begin? Being by conducting some research of the industry of your business. If your business is hair care, you should research the hair care industry. It is important to know what the latest technology and trends in your industry. This information will not be gathered by focusing only on your business, but you need to know what others in your industry are doing. Conducting research will help in determining your pricing structure and developing a business plan.
A business plan is needed. The business plan will show that you are well versed in your industry, as well as provide a plan for your first few years of business. Most business fail in the first few years, and the failure can be contributed to a lack of planning. Your business plan will show the source of funds for your business, and what the funds will be used for in the business. If you are seeking funding for your business, investors will want to know what you are investing in the business. If you are not investing your funds in the business, it’s difficult to gain the buy in from others.
Location! Location! Location! Where will your business be located? Location is important. Will you have a home-based business, or will you need an outside location? What city will you conduct your business? The research you completed previously will help in determining the location of your business.
How will your business be structured? Sole proprietorship, partnership, Limited Liability Company (LLC), corporation, S corporation, nonprofit or cooperative. Your legal structure will determine the type of licenses and filings you will need to complete in your state.
What’s the name of your business? Creating a business name is important and the business name should portray your business. You want a name that people will remember. Do not take creating your business name lightly. Register your name with your state.
Uncle Sam will get his! Make sure you register for state and local taxes.
Will you be employing others? You have to understand employer responsibilities. The last thing you want to do is violate an employee’s rights.
Are you handling your business?
“Image courtesy of koratmember/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net”.
Natural Hair Care Basics
I have had long hair for most of my life. When I was growing up, I was rarely afforded the opportunity to wear ponytails. My mom would braid my hair for the week, and only allowed cute ponytails on school picture day. When I was in junior high, I begged my mom for a relaxer. My mom has never relaxed her hair. Once I became an adult, I would have my hair cut short in the summer and then allow it to grow long for the rest of the year. I wore relaxers for years, and in 2008 I decided to return to my natural texture.
In my quest to learn how to care for my natural texture, I viewed popular YouTube vloggers, read books about natural hair care and joined various natural hair care websites. Along the way I made some mistakes in listening to what “others” said about caring for my hair. I remember one YouTuber saying split ends were a thing of the past, and I did not have to have trims. I listened to that foolery for about nine months! When I went into the salon because my hair wasn’t acting right, my stylist told me I had major split end issues. I had to have a haircut! This YouTuber didn’t mention the impact having colored treated hair played into needing regular trims. This natural hair defining moment forced me to find out what I needed to know about my hair. I encourage you to do the same. There are three major types of information you will need to learn about your hair. I learned these things about my hair courtesy of Live Curly Live Free, which is the company that created the information presented below:
First, your hair texture. Hair texture is determined by the diameter of your hair strand. Hair texture is classified in three categories: fine, medium and coarse. Some individuals have all three categories on their head. Your hair texture is important because hair texture determines how you should care for your hair, the cut of your hair and the type of services you should have on your hair, such as coloring or texturizing.
Second, the porosity of your hair. Hair porosity determines the hair’s ability to absorb and retain moisture. Hair porosity is defined by three categories: high, low or normal. This factor is key in knowing how to retain hair moisture.
Finally, the elasticity of your hair. Elasticity is the ability for the hair to stretch and then return to its original length without breaking. Elasticity dictates the ability of hair to hold its curl, whether natural or created by other methods.
I’m going to do you a favor and not provide all of the information for you, but encourage you to conduct your own research and find the answers to your hair’s texture, porosity and elasticity. Once you know these things, you will know how to choose the right products for your hair.
Happy Researching!
Good Girls Finish Last!
Where are my good girls? You know who you are… Good girls are the girls who try their best to do everything the right way. Good girls are the ones who were taught right from wrong and how to act appropriately in all situations. Good girls are the ones who may have had the title “church girl” attached to their description. We had to go to church, get good grades, sing in the choir, be on the usher board, etc. The list can go on and on.
Well, somewhere along the way, we decided we wanted to be like everyone else: go to the club, have a drink, even have sex before marriage. What happens to the good girls, when they do those things? The good girls always seem to get caught up! The good girls are the ones that get pregnant and have the baby. The good girls are the ones that may have something bad happen to her, while she’s “out there in them streets.” The good girls come full circle. We return to our first teachings and roots. We take our child (package) with us and do things the way we were taught to do them. When we return we may have some baggage, and maybe even a little more cynical; but we return.
You may ask why she is saying good girls finish last. Finishing last in this situation works in our favor. Yes, we have made some mistakes, but now we are better, stronger and wiser. We are ready to be uncompromising in what we want, and we are more appreciative of the blessings we receive.
We finish last because we choose to wait for what’s best for us. We see through all the mess and choose to wait for what’s best for us in every aspect of our lives. In our waiting we are shaped and molded into a better woman. This better woman, the good girl, she finishes last.
She receives everything God has designed for her, and she can say with a smile on her face – GOOD GIRLS FINISH LAST!
I Fell in Love with Black History
I remember as if it were yesterday. The moment I fell in love with Black History. I was born in Chicago, IL and grew up in Cairo, IL. My first vivid memory of even receiving a glimpse of what my ancestors went through is when I saw Roots on TV. Roots provided a foundation for the treatment of Blacks in America. I was horrified and angry at the images that were seared in my brain.
Fast forward to what I was taught in school. Black History was not focused on as much as it should have been in school. I remember being taught year after year about the same few icons of Black History: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglas and Harriet Tubman. That was pretty much all we were taught. While in high school I had to read an autobiography of a person of my choice and write a book report about the person. I wanted to write about a woman and decided to research and find a Black woman. I read some information about Mary McLeod Bethune and wanted to find out more about her. After reading about her life, I thought I could achieve whatever I wanted to achieve. I fell in love with Black History!
I searched and found more and more books about Black History and the achievements of Blacks. I read about Fannie Lou Hammer. When I read her story, I vowed to always vote! I would never belittle the privilege that my ancestors sacrificed their very lives for me to be able to simply cast my vote. The trial of the men that murdered Emmett Till instilled in me a willingness to perform my civic duty and partake in jury duty. Never will I miss the opportunity to make sure there really is a “jury of your peers” available to hear your case! I fell deeper in love with Black History!
As I continued my research, I learned of the great Black Kings and Queens and of the various inventions that were created by Black people! My self-esteem increased even more. I read Malcolm X autobiography and knew being militant resonated more with me than practicing civil disobedience. I refused to be mistreated and when presented with racial situations I spoke up and demanded to be treated like everyone else!
Today we have a school of thought that our children need to learn about some other aspects of Black History and we should be passed focusing on slavery and Civil Rights. Well, guess what?! Those aspects of our history are still relevant today because there are those who still only see us as slaves and living beneath them. We have to teach all aspects of our history until everyone understands the ramifications of slavery, racism and prejudices. Slavery and Civil Rights history needs to be taught until racism and hate are torn from the foundation of our nation.
PBS has programming this month that will provide a broader knowledge an appreciation of the contributions from African-Americans. You can view the listings HERE
Yes, all those years ago I fell in love with Black History! When did you fall in love with Black History?
February Challenge
I’m challenging myself for the month of February, and wanted to extend the challenge to you. Improving my health is one of my goals for 2014 and I need to begin to move my body. I am tired of starting and stopping and want to stay committed to being healthy and fit for life. Now, I do not have any unrealistic goals. I’m not trying to lose 100 pounds in two months, or restrict my calories to 500 calories per day; which is starvation mode for those that didn’t know. My goals are to eat three healthy meals per day and exercise for at least thirty minutes per day.
I want to work out thirty minutes per day to create a habit. It’s been said that it takes 21 days to create a habit and for this reason February seemed like the ideal month to begin this challenge. I read an article today in the February 2014 Ebony magazine that discusses eating what you love and lose weight. You can view the article here. The article provides a very simple method for each of your meals.
I want to live for a long time and refuse to allow bad eating habits and not exercising to limit my lifespan. I will update you weekly on my progress. Comment and let me know what your health and fitness goals are for 2014.
The above image appears courtesy of stockimages/freedigitalphotos.net
Flaws & All
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The above video shows the power of Photoshop, and how it is used to completely change the look of a person in a magazine. Then, the body image statistics provides the realities of body image. Where you surprised? We see the magazine images presented to us every day and subconsciously believe that the images presented to us is our reality. As we mature, or discover that these images are unrealistic and do not represent real body images, we begin to feel more secure in the skin we are in: Flaws & All… The challenge is to help young women feel secure in the skin their in sooner rather than later. What can we do to affirm appreciating our Flaws & All?
1. We have to teach young people to appreciate their unique look. Appreciating their unique look allows young people to have high self esteem.
2. We have to teach young people that their character is more important than how they look. Having a good character makes the inside beautiful, which radiates on the outside.
3. We have to teach young people to value diversity. If we all looked alike, this world would be boring. Valuing differences helps us appreciate each other more.
I challenge you to appreciate yourself – Flaws & All! Then, teach our children the same. What are you currently doing to affirm a positive body image in yourself and others?
There will be winners and losers – deal with it!
Richard Sherman’s post game interview after the NFC Championship game has received a lot of comments, blog posts and of course opinionated comments via social media. When I saw the post game interview, my first reaction is I didn’t fully understand the source of Richard’s comments. However, I did understand his trash talking. I remember playing basketball (hey, don’t laugh I use to play). There was a lot of talk of who was better than who, and of course things were said before the game and on the court to force the opposing team to lose focus. A competitor wants to get into the other team members head and cause them to be consumed with the head game, and not play the game that is taking place on the court. After hearing more of the backstory of Sherman’s rant, I support him and wanted to learn more about him.
Richard Sherman is a young man that grew up in Watts and Compton. His parents would be considered middle class. I was reading his blog, which you can view here:http://mmqb.si.com/2013/07/18/richard-sherman-introduction, and found out some interesting facts about him. This young man’s parents pushed him to excel in the classroom. He went to Stanford and earned his degree. After his interview, he has been called the N word, thug, ape, classless, and the list could go on and on. It seems the racists decided to let us know how they really feel. His stats on the football field speak for themselves. Clearly, he was the better than Crabtree that night, and like any competitor would do, he rubbed Crabtree’s face in it. Back in the day trash talking like that would cause the other player to practice harder and be ready to show what he/she is made of the next time they are competing against one another.
Well, here’s how I feel: this world has become so politically correct that a competitor can’t trash talk. We are living in a world where everyone on the team is given a trophy. Seriously?! Our children need to know that someone will win and someone will lose. I know this seems to be a difficult concept for some – deal with it! Recently, a friend told me his child was on a team and everyone was given a trophy! This is too politically correct for me! When did we start celebrating being mediocre?! If you want to be the best, you have to put in the work to be the best! If you want to be the MVP, you have to put in the work to be the MVP. What are we teaching our children by giving everyone on the team a trophy?
I will tell you what we are teaching them. We are teaching them it’s okay to be mediocre. You don’t have to practice longer or work harder. You will still get a trophy? This concept is one of the reasons some children do not try to excel. Look at No Child Left Behind. Did you know that once your child reaches a certain age in Junior High, the child has to be socially promoted to high school? So, you have Child A that was taught by their parents that mediocre is not acceptable and has worked hard to make good grades and successfully pass, and then you have Child B who gets to walk across the stage and receive a diploma because he/she is too old to be in junior high. Where are the good old days that included having to repeat a grade because you failed?! You did not successfully learn what you were suppose to learn, so you have to repeat that grade. What happen to those days? Where are the days of the MVP receiving a trophy for being the best all around player and the others that were number one in various categories are awarded trophies for being the best in that category?
I refuse this mediocre concept and this politically correct concept of no trash talking. Let’s teach our children to strive to be the best, and banish mediocre concepts and values.
10 Things I’m Too Old To Do…
I posted this on Facebook several months ago. I’m posting this on my Blog as a reminder to myself and others.
10. Lie – grown folks ain’t got no business doing that (yes, I said ain’t got no!)
9. Wear rachet clothes fashions
8. Being seen in the same club with my children! (Absolutely not)
7. Bad work attendance (seriously)
6. Blaming others for my shortcomings
5. Cheating – go sat your old tail down!
4. Facebook drama (go cap lock @ work!)
3. Stalking my man’s FB, Twitter, Instagram while sneaking in his phone while he sleep! (Private eye much!)
2. Teething (this wisdom tooth kicking my butt)
1. Play with God!
naturalprofessor 